Mason Mingus; Win-Tron Racing Digging Deeper Trekking To Toledo

Topics:  Mason Mingus, Win-Tron Racing, Menards 200

Chris Knight
Knight Motorsports Management
May 15, 2012

TOLEDO, Ohio (May 15, 2012) - - Brentwood, Tennessee native Mason Mingus conquered his first meeting of the year with Salem (Ind.) Speedway last month with a top-10 finish in the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards. This weekend, the rookie will add yet another racetrack to his increasingly growing resume as he treks to Toledo Speedway for the running of Sunday’s Menards 200 presented by Federated Car Care.

Despite finishing 10th in the third race last month at Salem, the driver of the No. 32 Call 811 Before You Dig Toyota Camry knows that improving on that finish will be no piece of cake. But, the momentum surrounding the team could inevitably lift Mingus to yet another career-best performance.

Entering the fifth race of the season, Mingus is set to compete in his third ARCA Racing Series start after tackling both Mobile (Ala.) International Speedway and Salem respectively. With Toledo’s half-mile layout offering a somewhat relaxing driving style compared to the other tracks, Mingus knows that doesn’t mean a strong effort won’t come without a digging fight on Sunday afternoon.

“I think Toledo is going to be a good race for us,” said Mingus, a former ARCA / CRA Series standout. “As a team, we’re still thriving on our performance at Salem. This is such a great team with a lot of heart, desire and want. I’m hoping that we can take the momentum we left Salem with and carry it over this weekend.”

Being a rookie in the ARCA Racing Series has been no easy task for the high school wrestler, but he’s taken the challenges in stride and has begun rightfully earning the respect of his fellow competitors.

“At Mobile, I was a Ping-Pong ball. In Salem, I was able to race hard and clean with a lot of the other guys out there and I think I proved to them that while I still may be new at this, I know what I’m doing and if they show me respect, I’ll show them the same. That philosophy isn’t going to change this weekend – Toledo’s another place where typical beating and banging is the norm – but I know it’s another race for me to earn further trust from some of the veterans out there.”

While Mingus will be mixing it up with a slew of veterans on the track, he also knows that his veteran team could be his saving grace when push comes to shove in the anticipated 200-lap slugfest – especially after conducting a recent successful test at ARCA’s hometown track.

“No matter how hard you try, you cannot predict the outcome of a race,” sounded Mingus. “Thankfully, I have a group of guys who know their stuff and will have a solution for anything we may encounter on Sunday. I know it’s my job to keep the fenders on our No. 32 Call 811 Before You Dig Toyota Camry, but I’m glad to have such a stout group of guys on pit road calling the shots for me. With their help, we have a shot a top-five, maybe even a win this weekend.”

For the third time this year, the 17-year old standout will be carrying the likes of Call 811 Before You Dig, which has been with him since his inception into the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards.

811 is the new number you should call before you begin any digging project. A new, federally-mandated national "Call Before You Dig" number, 811 was created to help protect you from unintentionally hitting underground utility lines while working on digging projects. People digging often make risky assumptions about whether or not they should get their utility lines marked due to concerns about project delays, costs and previous calls about other projects. These assumptions can be life-threatening.

Every digging job requires a call – even small projects like planting trees or shrubs. If you hit an underground utility line while digging, you can harm yourself or those around you, disrupt service to an entire neighborhood and potentially be responsible for fines and repair costs.

“Call 811 Before You Dig is a great program and we want to increase their awareness and I feel that we have and we’re going to continue to make a major dent into that this season,” offered Mingus. “It’s really a great, informational service available and I’m extremely grateful to them for pairing up with me this season. Believe me, we’re going to do everything we can to spread their message and more importantly aim to take them to Victory Lane!”

Nate Thiesse, co-car owner of Win-Tron Racing offered his sentiments on his protégés tango with Toledo Speedway. “Over the years, we’ve had a lot of success with new drivers at Toledo Speedway and I think Mason will easily fit into that spectrum. He’s a young-man with a lot of admiration and we’re all looking forward to improving on our 10th place outing on Sunday.”

On top of Toledo Speedway, Mingus’s current ARCA schedule also includes Elko (Minn.) Speedway, Winchester (Ind.) Speedway, New Jersey Motorsports Park, Iowa Speedway, Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis and the traditional Fall Salem (Ind.) Speedway classic.

In addition to Call 811 Before You Dig, Diamond Equipment will leap aboard the team as an associate marketing partner for Mingus’s fourth-career ARCA start.

The Menards 200 presented by Federated Car Care (200 laps / 100 miles) is the fifth of 20 events on the 2012 ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards schedule. The 71st ARCA race at Toledo Speedway is a two-day show. Practice begins Saturday, May 19 with a forty-five practice session planned from 11:45 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. A final practice is scheduled from 1:00 p.m. – 1:45 p.m. Menards pole qualifying presented by Ansell is set for later in the day slated to begin at 3:30 p.m. The event will take the green flag Sunday, May 20 shortly after 2:00 p.m. The race will be televised live on SPEED with additional coverage including timing and scoring available through the ARCA Racing Network (ARN) online at arcaracing.com. All times are local (Eastern).

Further information including driver opportunities with Win-Tron Racing is available by visiting win-tronracing.com or contacting Nate Thiesse at 612.306.1641

Learn about Call 811 Before You Dig and what it can do for you by connecting to call811.com.

For more on Mason Mingus, please visit MasonMingusRacing.com.

About Win-Tron Racing:

Located in Lakeville, Minnesota, Win-Tron Racing is the home of one the most potent ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards single-car operations. Owned by former racers Kevin Cywinski and Nate Thiesse, the team since has acquired the assets of County Joe Racing has become a favorable fixture on the circuit. Since Win-Tron Racing’s inception in 2007, the team has hosted a variety of drivers including leading drivers James Buescher, Blake Bjorklund, Justin Marks and Matt Merrell to their first career ARCA victories. In 2012, the team will begin its sixth year of competition with current drivers Chris Windom and Mason Mingus.

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TEAM COMMUNICATIONS CONTACT:
NAME: Chris Knight, Knight Motorsports Management
PHONE: 239.834.9797
EMAIL: chris@chrisknightpr.com